Certainly those who are reading this are likely not the teachers who are guilty, but it is hard to dispute the fact that many teachers have made little change to their teaching style over their time in the “profession”. We can all remember having a teacher who gave stencil after stencil and would rarely stray from the basic curriculum.

So what can we do to encourage our peers to get involved and continue their professional development.

Attached is a video called Teaching 2030. It may be a little bit over the top on some levels, but the overall message about changing expectations of teachers is good.

What are your thoughts?

In discussion about classroom management, Prof. Melanie Bennett (shout out) mentioned an interesting idea that she had read about. The idea integrates the economy in the classroom. Students are given jobs and contribute to the classroom’s economy. They pay rent, and are fined or receive bonuses for their contributions in the class. I found it well outlined by a teacher who used the same procedure in her classroom.

To see how it works in more detail check out http://mrshillman.iowapages.org/id26.html.

This is an excellent opportunity to integrate social justice and politics into the mathematics curriculum. It works very well at the elementary level. Students will experience the different components and factors that influence the economy. It could also be tied into classroom elections as students can make political donations, handle campaign costs, etc.

Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss!

Historically, many foreign students have struggled adapting to new languages in class, but could always fall back on math, our universal language. Now they are penalized for having weak language skills.

It becomes the teacher’s responsibility to identify which students’ weaknesses are with math, and which may be with the language. In turn, lessons may need to be adapted to help the ESL (English Second Language) students grasp the full meaning of the question.

Every class will have different ranges and capabilities. By knowing the students well, the teacher can use the different strengths in their class to help support the lesson.

Matching strong language students who may be weaker in math, with strong math students who may have ESL is a simple and beneficial method of bridging both students’ gaps.

Similarly, having the ESL student paired with another student who speaks their mother tongue can help make the teacher’s job easier.

Finding new and effective ways to help ESL students tackle the situational and traditional word problems is a professional challenge that teachers must face.

I encourage all teachers to share their thoughts and ideas on the topic with hopes that the students will benefit from our forward thinking!

With new classes comes the different academic ranges, and just as the students adjust to the teacher, the teacher must get comfortable adapting lessons that can be used by the whole class.

One of the best activities that can be undertaken by just about any class, regardless of grade or level, is the creation of an ABC book. However, taking the ABC book to the next level, students can create the ABC video-book about their school. Groups of students are asked to come up with words, sentences or poems that are about their letters that help describe the features of the school. This gives different students the opportunity to contribute based on their level and talents. By encouraging students to use dictionaries to help find their words, the activity encompasses writing, reading and oral language skills.

The final project can be compiled and used as promotion for the school, or as an introduction for new students.

Alas, a language arts project for all!

The importance of leaders is not disputed, however I wish to focus more on the importance of compliance. Compliance is often an overlooked characteristic. The military is a long time believer in compliance. They require soldiers to maintain appearance, follow orders, and respect rank, and without compliance with this standard there is significant disorganization. All the while, these individuals are also assuming important leadership roles. The tandem goes hand in hand, and is a recipe for success.

It is equally important to know when it is required to lead, and when to follow. As individuals we must be capable of identifying the circumstances in which our leadership qualities will allow for the best outcome, and the circumstances where we must follow orders.

Schools are notorious hypocrites when it comes to the topic of leadership. Every school claims to be building our future leaders, and so they may be, yet the same schools rarely appreciate the leadership roles that students undertake. Perhaps because leaders use their following for more negative than positive in high school, but schools are far more inclined to appreciate those individuals who have strictly conformed to school standards.

It is the responsibility of schools to explain the roles and when each is required. The best leaders are the ones who have no fear in taking a stand when they believe strongly in something, but they are also the ones who know when it is appropriate to be silent and listen.

The appeal of these stories is their often light and humorous plots that can initiate the use of one’s imagination. While very young, children are encouraged to read and write freely about what it is that sparks their interest.

By the time students reach grade four, this free reading and writing is quickly replaced with highly structured critical writing.

Writing is no longer a way to express oneself, it becomes a means of communication for our in-depth analysis of theme driven novels.

Throughout high school I could count on one hand the number of times I was given free range to produce written work.

Poetry, one of the most individual forms of literature, was broken down and rebuilt from the ground up, allowing for little, if any, personal touch.

Creative writing is becoming a lost art. However, thanks to the web (as usual), blogging has permitted everyone to get back to the creative and unstructured forms of writing that most people love.

In the August 2nd post, Student Blogs: Educational Self Expression, we outline the advantages of encouraging students to keep a blog of their ideas and interests. By having a location to write, without facing the repercussions of grammatical, spelling and syntax errors, students are churning their minds and exploring the world of creative writing.

In the McGill University Faculty of Education, students in the elementary program are required to take a course called ‘Children’s Literature’. It shines light on some of the timeless children’s books, but also requires students to create their own! For many, this was a task harder than any term paper. It requires them to rewire their brain into a mode that has no limitations, and fantasy is encouraged. In the end, most students of the course remember it as an opportunity to write a story they have always wish was told.

Critical writing plays an important role in our classrooms. It teaches the students the skills required to analyze and interpret texts, as well as the ability to express this analysis in a clear and structured form. However, many classrooms have seen the critical writing take over completely from creative writing forms.

Don’t let students lose their imagination, you never know who may be the next Dr. Seuss!

This interest in healthy diet and lifestyle is not a new phenomenon, but it has become increasingly mainstream over that last decade. Demands on players are higher and competition levels continue to rise.

The same can be said about academics. Just like athletics, academics requires that we use our bodies as our tool. We depend on it, and often our success is determined by the body’s limitations. Unfortunately however, few academics pay as close attention to what their body is ingesting as their athletic counterparts.

Even at a young age, students are much more productive, attentive and retentive when they have received to proper fuel. Most children do not have the knowledge or capabilities to select and prepare their meals, this becomes the responsibility of their parents or guardian.

High performance athletes rely on a strict intake of vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein and fats. Students should be no different. Perhaps it is because the results are more measurable in sports, we have paid closer attention to diet and performance. In the classroom, a student who has been adequately prepared for the day will have the energy and focus to give him or herself the ability to reach their potential.

Parents need to be aware of what their children are eating. High sugar drinks (especially soft drinks) can often do more damage than expected. Processed foods too. Processed foods (hotdogs, hamburgers, etc.) may be filling but provide limited nutrients. Foods that are high in trans fats are obviously very detrimental to the cognitive performance of individuals. They reduce the blood flow and can often instigate fatigue. Whole wheat pastas, chicken breast, eggs, green vegetables, fruits, rice, are just a few of the easiest foods to prepare to help give students the best opportunity to succeed.

With the new school year just around the corner, it is time to start thinking about grocery shopping as school supply shopping.

Here are some useful tips from teachers to help create the best classroom environment for learning and fun!

• Let The Class Make The Rules:
  Allow the class to come up with the rules that they will have to follow. This is a particularly effective practice at the elementary level. If power is handed over to the class, they are more likely to feel a sense of responsibility when it comes to the rules.
• Keep Rules To A Minimum:
  For many students school is already a strict enough environment, overwhelming them with classroom rules can lead to more stress and school anxiety. Keep your rules to a minimum, and make sure the students know them well.
• Enforce The Rules:
  One of the most important parts of classroom management is consistency. Ensuring the your rules are uniformly enforced with all students at all times is important to the classroom dynamic. When students feel there is a bias or rules are sporadically enforced there is a much higher probability of disruptions.
• Encourage Self Resolution Of Conflicts:
  This one takes time and again is most relevant with younger students. Having the students resolve their conflicts on their own makes the job of the teacher much easier. Less time is spent on discipline and more focus can be placed on teaching. Encouraging the students to resolve or enforce rules on their own once again promotes mutual respect, and maturity. Make it clear that the “violation” will not be reprimanded by the teacher if it is resolved by the students. (Be sure to create a step by step resolution formula with the class. This makes the process even easier.)

Feel free to post any of your own suggestions for rules and classroom management ideas!

The number one characteristic of a memorable teacher is passion. Passion for their job, passion for life, passion for their students. Passionate teachers are the ones who come into school because they love it. They make each and everyday an adventure for students because it is an adventure for themselves.

What is often noticed about those memorable teachers is that they always demanded and expected more of their students. In educator Regie Routman’s book Writing Essentials, she explains that teachers should always set high expectations for their students. The higher expectations give the students the confidence and belief that they can achieve excellence. A passionate teacher will never settle for poor quality. They expect passion from their students, and anything short of a student’s best effort is unacceptable. In their mind, the job is not to teach a class for the year, their job is a lifelong commitment to helping their students reach their potential.

Two of the most memorable quotes I ever heard going through school were repeated by one of the most influential people in my life. He would always say, “You will be treated like a man until you ask to be treated like a child”. Simple enough to understand, however many teachers fail to adopt this in their classrooms. The students would be held to a higher expectation. They would be expected to act and work as adults, and given the respect and responsibility that accompanies it.
The second quote, which pertains more to student success, is about improvement. He would tell us “I will only criticize you if I know you are capable of greatness.”. As a result, anytime he addressed you, always like a man, it was clear that he saw potential in you. This confidence and trust made everyone believe they had the capacity to be great. The evident passion for life and students protruded from this teacher.

Even as a child we are capable of noticing changes in our mentality. It is the years spent with memorable teachers in which we grow the most as individuals.

Memorable teachers are not the ones who are the nicest to their students. They aren’t the tough ones either. The characteristics of a memorable teacher go far beyond the external experience. They inspire students and propel them to the next level. The passion for life is undeniable and their ability to share that passion with the class permanently influences each student. It leads to confidence and maturity, gifts that are stored within, and kept for the rest of our lives.

The belief (and perhaps rightfully so) is that too much weight is placed on testing and the grades often do not indicate the student’s true academic level.

For years standardized tests, such as the SAT or GMAT, have been criticized for their inability to adequately judge one’s intelligence level. Filled with cultural biases and obscure questions designed to only be answered by individuals brought up in certain conditions, these tests put an enormous amount of stress on both the student and the teacher.

The recent scandal that rocked the Atlanta school region shows just how much emphasis schools place on the results from standardized tests. For many students the SAT score is the difference between Ivy League and Community College.

Grading our students, especially at the elementary level, is regarded as unnecessary by many educators. Most grades are arbitrarily assigned.

While working with a grade 3 student this year, we completed a two page paper on tigers. In what seemed to have been thrown together in 15 minutes, the outline was brief and expected the students to include basic details about the animal. The student had two days and a weekend to complete the task. With my help we followed the guidelines and put together a paper that the student was extremely proud of. To my surprise he was only given an 80 (20/25), because some details were left out. His final grade in science was 80%. According to the student, the said project was the only science work they had completed all semester. All I could think about were the students who received aide from their parents and submitted ‘perfect’ papers. I felt as though it had been my role to ensure he got 25/25. But it wasn’t.

The purpose of the story is to show how arbitrary and subjective grades have become. Teachers have become comfortable assessing a student based on one project done over four days. This very same student also received a 60 (the minimum passing grade) in his French course, yet could not speak a word of French.

The MELS (Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sport), school boards and other regulatory bodies need to reconsider the method in which students are assessed and graded.